Oscar nominee Jeff Bridges. Image from Flickr.
Ah, the Academy Awards. It’s that special time of year when the self-proclaimed “biggest movie event of the year” draws people to living rooms all over America. There will be Oscar parties, secret ballots, cheers and boos as friends and families find out which movies and actors are, in fact, the very best. The Academy Awards ceremony airs Sunday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. Of course, you don’t want to watch the Academy Awards unarmed, so here’s a look at the Oscar nominees in the “big” categories.
Academy Award nominees for Best Picture
If you’re looking for surprises, you’re in the wrong place. The 10 films nominated for Best Picture are: “Avatar,” “The Blind Side,” “District 9,” “An Education,” “The Hurt Locker,” “Inglourious Basterds,” “Precious,” “A Serious Man,” “Up” and “Up in the Air.”
For you betting types looking for a quick payday, Moviefone says “Avatar” will win. It also won the Golden Globe for Best Picture.
Best Actor in a Leading Role
Everyone’s favorite Dude, Jeff Bridges, is nominated for his role in “Crazy Heart.” He is up against George Clooney for “Up in the Air.” In my opinion, they face their stiffest competition in Morgan Freeman, nominated for “Invictus.” I didn’t get to see “A Single Man,” which got Colin Firth a nomination. Jeremy Renner is also up for the prize thanks to “The Hurt Locker.”
Best Actress in a Leading Role
Naturally, Academy-Award-nominated movies produce nominated actresses, including Gabourey Sidibe for “Precious,” Sandra Bullock for “The Blind Side” and Carey Mulligan for “An Education.” No list of actress nominees is complete without Meryl Streep, and she’s on this list for “Julie & Julia.” Another list-completing name: Helen Mirren, who is nominated for “The Last Station.”
Best Directing
After he broke his own box office record when he made “Avatar,” the highest-grossing film of all time, I’d be surprised if James Cameron didn’t win the Oscar for Best Directing. But whether he wins or loses won’t affect the fact that he’s gone money to spend, money to lend and money to burn for the rest of his life.
Other nominees for Best Directing are Kathryn Bigelow for “The Hurt Locker,” Quentin Tarantino for “Inglourious Basterds,” Lee Daniels for “Precious” and Jason Reitman for “Up in the Air.” Don’t forget to tune in Sunday to the Academy Awards on ABC at 8 p.m. on the East Coast or 5 p.m. on the West Coast.
